


Fall At Your Feet

by confxsed



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit RPF
Genre: AU - Bank Robbery, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hostage Situations, Hurt!Lee, Hurt/Comfort, Kink Meme, Lee as a robber, M/M, Minor Character Death, Prison, Protective!Lee, Richard as a bank manager, Stockholm Syndrome, Swearing, Violence, criminals, hope i can do it justice, hurt!Richard, this was a brilliant prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-31
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-09 19:56:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3262427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/confxsed/pseuds/confxsed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fill for a prompt on kink meme: Struggling actor Lee who has fallen in with a bad crowd is forced to rob a bank to cover his debts. Richard is a bank manager working late on a Saturday night. Lee, who is the first to discover Richard, does all he can to protect him from the other members of his crew.</p><p>Full prompt in notes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and never happened. I don't own anything.
> 
> This is a fill for a wonderful prompt on the hobbit kink meme. Link is here: http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/11683.html?thread=25021347#t25021347
> 
> This is a work in progress, bear with me while I don't have internet access for a week. Also, I have next to no knowledge about banks or the law, so please excuse the many inconsistencies you will probably find. Title taken from the Crowded House song. Really hope I can do the prompt justice!

Richard blinked rapidly as the words on the page in front of him began to blur together. He sighed and ran a hand over his weary face. Jesus Christ, he was exhausted. Richard glared at the paperwork that had _still_ not been completed and had to resist from giving it his middle finger.

He rested his head in a hand and began to daydream about what Graham was up to at the moment. The deputy manager had asked Richard whether he would like to go out for drinks, but Richard had politely refused. Graham hadn’t pushed because he knew Richard often liked to stay late to work when it was quiet and there was no one around. Richard certainly wasn’t enjoying himself anymore as the time dragged on and he hadn’t gotten much progress in. Dean and Aidan, those ridiculously annoying interns had barged into his office earlier and all but demanded that he come along and have some fun. For whatever reason, those two had taken a liking to him and were constantly flirting and trying to rile him up.

The only way Richard had gotten rid of them was by not-so-subtly reminding them that he was not only one of their superiors, but the actual bank manager. They’d finally gotten the hint.

“Come on Aid,” Dean had grinned, “I don’t think Richard likes us very much.”

The short blond had grabbed his companion’s hand to usher him out of the room, but not before the Irishman had smacked Richard’s butt. Richard ground his teeth in frustration as he thought about how disrespectful those bloody interns were. Not only did they know that their flirting made him uncomfortable, they enjoyed it. Richard has his suspicions that neither of them were actually interested in him – he’s actually pretty sure they’re secretly dating.

Richard was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a noise. Was that a door opening? Surely not, he knows there’s nobody else in here. Richard had ensured that he locked everything up before the last person left so no one else could get in. He froze, listening intently and could have sworn he heard voices. _Am I going mad?_

He got up hesitantly and crossed the room to the door. He slowly opened it and peered out. There were several men in the bank, whispering urgently, wearing black and _holding guns!_ Richard shot back into the room in panic. His heart thundered in his chest and his breath came in quick pants. _Oh my God, I am going to die alone. What the hell do I do?_ He stood in the middle of the room, his hands gripping his hair, eyes wide, all his training seemingly forgotten.

The he remembered – _the alarm!_ He ran back to his desk and hit the silent alarm that was located on the side. Nothing happened. Did it work? Was it supposed to do something? He knew that a silent alarm is not meant to do anything to arouse suspicion, but surely it would do something to let him know it worked. What if they’ve deactivated the alarm system? Maybe that’s how they got in in the first place.

Richard froze as he heard footsteps approaching his office and he realised how screwed he was as he hurriedly shut off his lamp. They knew he was here – they knew, and they were going to kill him. _Please, please don’t let them find me,_ he thought as he bent down to hide behind the desk. He heard the door open and he squeezed his eyes shut and clamped a hand over his mouth and nose to quieten his breathing.

Suddenly the lamp light was flicked back on and Richard’s eyes shot open. A man wearing a balaclava was staring at him crouched below the desk. Richard’s mouth opened, but no words came out and he was left gaping at the robber in shock.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” The robber whispered angrily. “No one is supposed to be here.”

Richard noticed that the man was very tall, probably taller than himself and was miraculously not even aiming his gun at him. He wondered vaguely if this guy had any idea what he was doing.

“Please just let me go,” Richard begged. “I won’t do anything – or say anything.”

The other man hesitated slightly before pulling off his balaclava and crouching down to Richard’s level. Richard’s mouth dropped open in surprise as he took in the appearance of the criminal. He was _beautiful_. He had full lips, and gorgeous blue eyes, a ridiculously well-shaped face. _Wow, now is really not the time, Richard,_ he scolded himself. Despite the situation, Richard couldn’t help but blush. The robber looked scared, he realised. Maybe Richard was right – he had no idea what he was doing. For the first time since he realised there were other people in the building, Richard felt a flicker of hope that he may get out of this unscathed.

“No one can find out you’re here, alright? I don’t know what they’d do. No one was supposed to be here!” The man flicked off the lamp again. “You’re just going to have to stay here until we leave, okay? Don’t come out.”

Richard couldn’t believe his stroke of luck – was this man not even going to tie him up?

“Hey Lee! Come here, we need you!”  A shout rose up from the other room. So his name was Lee? Richard filed that information away, sure he would be able to use it later. Lee raised his eyebrows and placed a finger to his lips, imploring the bank manager to be quiet. Richard nodded silently.

Lee stood up to follow the voice, but before he got to the door, two others appeared at the entrance to the office.

“What are you doing in here? In the dark?” A voice asked.

Whoever had just entered the room flicked the main light on and the room was bathed in light. Richard, still in a crouch, moved closer to the desk, hoping this Lee guy wouldn't tell the others he was there. The robber seemed like he would help him, but Richard didn’t trust him at all.

“Why the fuck did you take your mask off?”

Richard wished he could see what was going on, who the voice was coming from. He heard Lee’s nervous voice, “I don’t know – i-it was annoying me. It’s so stifling.” _Jesus, even I can tell that you’re lying and I only just met you_.

There was a beat of silence and then that same gruff voice hissed dangerously, “There is someone in here isn’t there?”

“No, no, no,” Lee said with a nervous laugh, “I checked, but there’s no one.”

Two men appeared around the desk and with an angry shout, hauled Richard up. One of them shoved him face-first against the wall and, with horror, he felt the barrel of a gun pressed into his back.

“Trying to protect him, were ya? You’re such a fuckin' pussy, Lee.” The man released Richard and he spun around quickly to see the gun pointed straight at his chest.

Three men stood facing him. Lee, still not wearing his mask, had a fearful, apologetic look on his face. The other two were dressed all in black and their balaclavas made it impossible for him to identify them. The one who was aiming the gun at him was quite short, and very stocky. His mouth was curled up in an unpleasant smirk. The other one was standing very still, eyes narrowed in a suspicious gaze. Richard stared into his dark eyes for a moment before a shiver passed over him and he had to look away. Something about that man made him feel uneasy.

“Secure him.” The man ordered quietly. Richard watched him leave and began to suspect that he was the leader of this whole operation.

The one aiming the gun at him came up close to him and waved the weapon in front of his face carelessly. Richard flinched.

“You’re a tall one, aren’t ya? Bet ya wish you didn’t stay so late tonight.” He laughed and Richard cringed away from the hot breath on his face. “Why would ya be here this late on a Saturday night, anyway? What a fuckin’ loser.”

Richard was saved from a response by the reappearance of the leader who chucked rope and a piece of cloth at Lee. “Secure him,” he repeated to Lee. “When you’re done, come out, we need you. Red, let’s go.”

The man in front of him, who Richard assumed to be Red, gave him one final sneer and left with the leader, leaving him and Lee alone.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the men start to get physical with Richard. Lee tries to intervene.

Lee slowly approached the desk and laid his gun carefully upon it. He turned slowly and Richard was surprised to note how upset he looked. As Lee approached him, Richard turned his gaze to the gun, not wanting to see the look on the other man’s face – not wanting to feel sorry for him. He wondered, for a moment, whether he would be able to lunge for the gun and overpower Lee. He quickly dismissed the thought, however, because what would his next move be? He wasn’t even sure how many of them there were.

Lee placed his hands on Richard’s shoulders and turned him around. He brought Richard’s hands around his back and secured them tightly with the rope. “I’m sorry,” Lee whispered.

When Richard turned back around he glared at the other man with hate, but Lee didn’t meet his eyes. Richard kept glaring at the man, _come on look at me, look at me you piece of shit._

What Richard had initially thought was a piece of cloth was actually a bandana. Lee placed it over Richard’s mouth, tying it around the back of his head. _It’s not like anyone could hear me scream anyway,_ he thought _._ When he was done, Lee finally met Richard’s gaze and immediately flinched back from the anger he saw in the bank manager’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, okay?” He said desperately. “I didn’t want them to find you. I didn’t want anyone else to be involved – you weren’t supposed to be here!”

He gave Richard one last pleading look and then turned to leave, stopping when he realised he had almost forgotten his gun. Richard snorted – this guy really was the worst robber ever.

Richard sank to the floor as the door closed and he was left alone. He felt scared and hopeless because he wasn’t able to do anything. He scanned the room quickly, looking for anything that may be of use to him. A stapler could be useful to hit someone, maybe some scissors? Richard huffed in frustration – with his hands tied behind his back he wouldn’t be able to grab them and the robbers had freaking _guns_ anyway. What use would office supplies be?

Richard could feel panic begin to ebb into the back of his mind and, to distract himself, he began to hit his head back against the wall softly. _Please get me out of here alive. I don’t want to die alone. Please…_    

Richard paused when he heard raised voices. What now? He strained to hear what they were saying, but all he could pick up on was muffled yelling. Are they arguing with each other now? The office door suddenly slammed open, making Richard jump.

Red was back, a scowl on his face. “Get up,” he commanded.

Richard began pushing himself up using only the wall. He felt his cheeks heat in embarrassment as he struggled without the use of his hands. The other man just watched him with contempt. When he was standing, Red walked over and grabbed his arm, yanking him out into the hall.

Richard’s eyes immediately scanned for Lee, but the other man must have put his balaclava back on as all of them were masked. There were five of them in total, all with guns. Duffel bags were sprawled out on the ground, empty so far. Richard looked towards the vault, noting that it was not yet open when he spotted Lee. That must be him, the tallest of the lot, standing near the back.

“We need your he-elp,” Red hummed in a sing-song voice into Richard’s ear. The man’s mouth so close to him infuriated Richard and he couldn’t help but elbow the robber in the side. That earned him a push that almost sent him sprawling to the ground.

The guy Richard had assumed to be the leader stepped forward. “So, we have a problem. Our guys on the outside were supposed to hack into the system and leave everything unlocked. We managed to get in here okay and open this door,” he indicated the vault with a tilted head, “but the main door to the vault is still locked.”

Richard just stared at him, eyebrows raised as if to say _what do you want me to do about it?_

The leader continued. “I assume it’s some sort of back-up security that was activated when we hacked in. Our guys fucked up real bad, but we are so very lucky,” he smiled dangerously at Richard, “that we have our very own bank manager here. You are going to open it for us.”

“No!” Richard tried to say, but it came out all muffled from the gag. Red stepped forward and yanked the gag off him roughly. He pushed him closer to the vault.

“So,” the leader drawled, “give me the code.”

Richard tried to seek out Lee’s eyes, but he couldn’t read the expression on the other man’s face with the mask. Richard decided to just settle a glare on the leader.

“Do as he says, fucker!” Red seethed and smacked him in the side of the head with his gun. Richard yelled out, blinding pain forcing him to his knees. His vision went black, and for a moment, he lost track of where he was. When he opened his eyes again, he felt a trail blood trickle down the side of his face. Lee was kneeling in front of him, attempting to protect him.

“. . . wrong with you?” He was saying. “He’s _bleeding_ , Red. You can’t just go around hitting people like that.”

“I can do whatever the fuck I want.”

Lee helped Richard to his feet.

The leader took a step towards him menacingly. “Now are you going to enter the code for us?”

When Richard did not respond immediately, the leader’s face contorted with anger. He shoved Richard up against the wall and pressed his forearm into his throat. Richard couldn’t breathe. He struggled against the bonds on his hands, but Lee had tied them too tightly. He watched helplessly as Lee pulled the man’s arms, trying to get him away.  Dark spots began to appear in his vision and his pulse slowed dangerously and then finally, _mercifully_ , the man’s arm was wrenched away and Richard fell to his knees coughing and gasping for air.

Lee’s arms were around him, “Are you okay?” Richard responded with only a groan that made his whole throat ache.

“Please just do what they say. Otherwise they’re gonna hurt you again and I don’t know if I can stop them. Give them the code, please.” Lee whispered into Richard’s ear, sounding desperate.

Richard met the leader’s eyes and gasped out the code that he knew off by heart, “37849281.” The man turned away from him without a word and entered the code. After a second the light went green and a satisfying _ping_ sounded. The door slid open to reveal the money stacked away in there.

“Good job.” The leader said to Richard in a bored voice. Then he entered the vault. Richard looked away, feeling sick.

While the other men followed him into the vault, Lee steered Richard with a muttered, “Come on”, back down the hall to his office. Richard, dizzy from the hit to his head, let the taller man guide him, feeling much safer now that he was away from the others.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions in the bank escalate quickly and Richard's feelings begin to soften towards Lee.

Richard sat down on his desk and stared at the floor, trying to ignore the pain in his throat. Now that his heart wasn’t hammering erratically, he began to feel the pain in his head from where the gun had struck him. Blood was still trickling slowly from the wound. Lee came over to him hesitantly and undid the bandana that was hanging limply around his neck. He wiped away the blood on the side of Richard’s face. Richard shied away from the touch, refusing to meet his eyes.

Lee sighed, “Here, let me take this off you for.” Richard’s eyes went wide as Lee’s nimble fingers undid the knotted rope with only some difficulty, leaving Richard free to use his hands again. _What is he doing, letting me go?_

Lee put a hand gently on the bank manager’s shoulder, “I’ll get you some water, okay? For your throat.” He placed the bandana in Richard’s hand, “Hold that to your head.”

Richard said nothing, but obeyed, gritting his teeth against the pain. Lee left the room and Richard stared down at his lap. _Why the hell is this happening to me? Am I being punished for something?_

Suddenly Richard’s mouth dropped open as he noticed the bulge in his pocket. _My phone! Oh my God, how could I have forgotten? The idiot forgot to take my phone away when he tied me up._

Richard could’ve laughed with relief as he pulled it out of his pocket. _Should I call the police? No, Lee could come back any minute or they might hear my voice._ He opened up messages and typed out a text as quick as he could with his shaking hands.

< ‘Bank being robbed. Call police. Being held hostage. Pls hurry.’ >

He sent the message to Graham, praying that the deputy manager was still awake and still sober enough to know that this was an emergency. He quickly flicked the phone to silent, stuffed it back into his pocket and reapplied the pressure to his head just in time as Lee re-entered the room, carrying a plastic cup he must have gotten from their break room.

Richard attempted to school his features, hoping he didn’t look at all suspicious. Lee seemed to not notice anything and handed the cup to Richard.

He grabbed the cup and gulped the water down quickly, wincing when it touched his searing throat.

“I tied it too tightly,” Lee ventured. Richard frowned before realising the other man was staring at his wrists. There were red marking around them, but they weren’t bleeding.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Richard stared at the unnaturally good-looking face of the criminal in front of him. His features were twisted with remorse, and Richard could tell that he did honestly feel guilty about what had happened.

He almost said it was okay to make Lee feel better, but caught himself just in time, because in reality none of what had happened was okay. He nodded, instead. That only seemed to make things worse as Lee’s face crumpled and he bit his lip.

“I never wanted any of this to happen. I wish I hadn’t gotten caught up in this fucking mess.” Lee put his head in his hands. “I’m so, so sorry you got hurt, I wish I could take all of it back. I wish I never came here.”

“Why did you?” Richard asked softly. _And why am I engaging in a conversation with a criminal?_

“I need the money. Too many debts. God, I never thought it would come to this though. Robbing a bank! I can’t believe this is where my life ended up.” A tear slid down the robber’s cheek and Richard realised that he did feel sorry for this guy.

Lee wiped the tear away and looked sidelong at Richard. “I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” he promised.

“I believe you.”

A look of relief passed over Lee’s face, and then sadness. They sat in silence for a moment and then Lee asked, “What’s your name?”

“Richard.”

A small smile graced the robber’s lips, “I always liked that name.”

Richard couldn’t help but admire how much more attractive Lee looked with a smile, _and that is saying something_. _How did someone who looks so gentle end up here?_ He wondered.

Richard’s thoughts were interrupted when one of the other men appeared at the door.

“Get out here,” he said to Lee, “and bring him.”

Richard closed his eyes, he couldn’t do this anymore. He didn’t want to think about what was waiting for him out there. He just wished for this night to be over.

He stood up and followed Lee and the other man out the door. He expected to be led towards the vault, but instead they walked out to the bank foyer. All the men stood silently, bathed in the moonlight that filtered through the glass windows. Five bulging duffel bags lay at their feet, one for every man Richard assumed.

“We’re done here. The others are waiting out the back,” the leader spoke, “just one more thing to take care of.”

Richard stared out at the empty street, would the police show up? Did Graham get his message?

Without warning, someone from behind knocked him to his hands and knees. Richard cried out in surprise. He pushed himself off the floor so he was kneeling and was met with the sight of the leader’s gun pointed at his head. His blood went cold.

“What are you doing?” Lee asked hysterically. “You can’t.”

“He’s a witness, he has to die.”

“No! No, he doesn’t. We’re not murderers, Jack.”

Without moving his gun, Jack turned to face Lee. “You are forcing my hand in this, Lee,” he snapped. “You took your mask off. He saw your face and you just fucking _gave him my name._ What did you think was going to happen?”

Richard began to tremble. Lee stepped in front of him, hands raised.

“Get out of the way,” Jack spat at him.

“No. I don’t care if he saw me. I’ll turn myself in, just please don’t kill him.”

“Are you really that stupid? You’ll implicate all of us. If they identify you, everything will lead back to us, Lee.” Jack’s voice was quiet, dangerous. “Get out of the way, or I will shoot you, too.”

“I’m not moving.” Lee’s voice was determined, his mind set.

“Lee,” Richard warned. Despite how terrified he was, he didn’t want the only one who had shown him kindness tonight to die for him.

“Get him out of the way,” Jack ordered. The other men moved towards Lee and grabbed him, trying to wrestle him out of the line of shot.

“NO!” Lee cried, struggling against them.

“Wait!” Red cried. “Shut up, everyone, SHUT UP!”

Everyone stopped struggling for a moment, trying to figure out why Red had stopped them. Then they heard it: sirens.

“What the fuck is that?” Someone questioned. “How could they possibly know we’re here?”

Jack’s eyes were narrowed in panic, his voice no longer quiet. “Did you call the police?” He asked Richard.

Richard said nothing, his eyes wide with fear. The small feeling of hope that washed over Richard when he heard the sirens disappeared as he watched Jack’s body tremble with anger. Whoever had forced Richard to his knees grabbed him roughly and pulled out the phone from his pocket. The sirens were getting louder.

He held it up to Jack who stalked over and snatched it away. Then several things happened at once: Jack threw the phone, smashing it against the ground as hard as he could, glass shattering everywhere; Richard jumped to his feet, twisting out of the man’s grip; and police cars screeched around the corner, filling the bank with red and blue flashing lights.

The bank erupted into a flurry of movement. One of the men dived behind a counter and another turned and ran. One of the policemen was yelling into a megaphone, but the sound was drowned out by Jack’s screaming.

“I TOLD YOU TO SECURE HIM! AND YOU LEAVE HIM WITH HIS FUCKING PHONE? WE’RE FUCKED, YOU COMPLETELY FUCKED US, LEE!” He advanced towards Lee with his gun raised, completely oblivious to what the cops were doing outside.

“You are DEAD! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU. YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD!” Jack’s sanity had snapped.

_“_ No, stop! Please!” Richard cried. Without hesitation he stepped in front of Lee and felt the taller man grip his shirt with a fist.

Jack’s eyes were wild. “YOU’RE BOTH DEAD!”

Richard was numb with dread. An absurd thought crossed his mind: _Who will take care of my cat?_ And then: _It’s not such a bad way to die, trying to protect someone else._

Behind him, Lee let out a sob. Richard squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the end.

The gun went off, shockingly loud, the bank’s cold walls amplifying the noise.

_Am I dead?_

But Richard could still feel Lee’s hand, warm against his back. He was sure he was still standing upright. Feeling dizzy, he opened his eyes and saw Jack lying on the ground, eyes wide, and a bullet hole through his head.

Richard felt completely detached from everything. It was as if he was watching the world through a screen. The bank was crowded, people running everywhere. A SWAT team?

Someone grabbed him, pulling him to a side.

“Richard?” They asked urgently. “Are you okay? Are you wounded?”

Richard stared at the man blankly and then his vision started to swim. He sagged, letting the man catch him before he hit the ground.

“It’s alright, we’ve got them all. You’re gonna be fine.”

Richard’s head lolled to the side and he saw Lee being led out of the bank in handcuffs.

“Lee,” he called out, but his voice was only a whisper.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short guys!

The next thing Richard became aware of was a paramedic leaning over him, speaking softly. He was sitting on the back of an ambulance, a blanket draped over his shoulders.

“Hello, Richard,” she said gently, “I’m Cate. Stay still for a moment, you’ve been in shock.”

Richard did not remember leaving the bank. What had happened to Lee? He strained his neck around trying to see. There were so many cop cars, people milling about everywhere.

“Richard?” He looked up and was startled to see Graham standing just behind the paramedic. “Oh God, I was so worried. Thank God you’re okay.”

“Keep your head forward,” the paramedic instructed. “Can you follow the light with your eyes?” She held up a torch, moving it from side-to-side and Richard did as she asked. “How are you feeling?” she asked when she was done.

Richard had to think about it for a moment. “Exhausted,” he said finally. Cate smiled sympathetically. “My throat still hurts.”

“Yes, I’m not surprised. Did they choke you?” Her fingers ghosted over the bruises that had formed on his neck. Richard nodded. “We’re gonna take you back to the hospital and get your throat and your head looked at. You’ll have to stay overnight.”

“I’ll come with you,” Graham walked over. Cate moved away, allowing Graham to sit next to him. Richard leaned into his friend, fatigue taking over him.

Graham wrapped an arm around Richard’s shoulders. “I almost thought your text was a joke when I first saw it,” he said quietly. “But then I realised who it came from. The lads were so worried.”

Richard looked up and jumped when he realised Aidan and Dean were standing next to Graham. He hadn’t even seen them approach. God, how tired was he? Both of them looked pale, shaken.

“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Aidan said softly. They were holding hands, Richard realised. _So they are a couple_. He gave them a weak smile.

Richard let his eyes slip closed, trying to forget all the events that had transpired.

“Richard?” A voice questioned. With a sigh, Richard forced his eyes back open. A man a bit older than him with short hair and a uniform stood in front of him. A badge hung around his neck. “I’m Detective Nesbitt. I’m sorry, I know you’ve been through a lot. I just wanted to let you know that we managed to get all of them. Apart from one, who we shot dead, everyone has been arrested. My partner and I will swing by the hospital tomorrow, and we’ll talk about what happened, okay?”

The detective had already turned to leave, but Richard stopped him. “Detective? What happened? In the end?”

“We were attempting to negotiate with them, but it didn’t work. Obviously none of them realised we had been notified and panicked. Then they had a gun on you, so we acted as quickly as possible. One of our officers got him in the head and we went in. It wasn’t really too difficult to subdue all of them. None of them were prepared at all. You were very brave.”

Richard nodded his thanks to the detective who then left.

“Come on,” Cate said, “We’ll take you to the hospital now.”

Richard was quiet in the back of the ambulance. Graham sat opposite him, watching him carefully. Richard couldn’t get Lee out of his mind. Not only had the man tried to stop him from getting hurt, he saved his life. He felt sorry for Lee and part of him wished that he had never been involved, but Richard knew that he might be in a much worse state if he hadn’t been there tonight.

Richard shuddered as he recalled the sight of Jack’s menacing eyes and the gun pointed at him. He doesn’t really understand why he stepped in front of Lee. All he could think was that he could barely stand the thought of him being hurt. Richard's head ached, and he was so tired and confused. He wanted to speak to Lee, make sure he was okay. Richard was suddenly gripped with a crippling fear - what if he never got to see Lee again?

“What’s going to happen to them?” He asked his friend.

“The robbers? I expect they’ll be put in jail for a long time, Rich.”

Richard was quiet for a while before he spoke, “One of them saved my life.”

“What?”

“I don’t want him to go to jail.” Richard closed his eyes. He couldn't let that happen, but he had a bad feeling he was going to be powerless to stop it.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any inconsistencies (I'm sure there are a lot) relating to the law and sentencing.

Richard sat in his car in the prison’s parking lot, fiddling with his keys. He was pretty certain that to keep coming here was a terrible idea, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He didn’t think Lee minded.

Although this was only his third visit, going through security had become routine for Richard. He was still unable to shake the fear that people were judging him for being a victim visiting a criminal. _They don’t know,_ he told himself.

A guard opened a door for him and he walked into a room lined with booths. Only one other was occupied. Richard shuffled over to Lee’s one and sat down. Before picking up the phone, he took the opportunity to appraise Lee through the glass screen. He looked better, at least compared to the first couple of visits where his eyes danced nervously around the room and he chewed constantly on his lip.

“Hey,” Lee smiled at him shyly.

“Hey yourself,” Richard smiled back at him, glad that the other man seemed less afraid that Richard was going to yell at him. “How have you been?”

“Oh, you know, could be worse.”

They talked for a while about standard stuff – how bad the food was, Lee’s awkward attempts at making friends, how bored he got lying around in his cell. Their conversations were boring as hell, but he could tell that the American appreciated the company anyway.

Richard found himself wanting to engage in deeper conversations with Lee. He wanted to get to know the man who was willing to die for him, but he was afraid to bring anything up. Apart from the first uncomfortable thank you’s on both of their parts, they hadn’t really spoken about anything important. Lee was the first one to talk about something different.

“Richard,” he sighed, “why do you keep coming here?”

Even though he had wanted this, Richard found himself wishing he didn’t have to answer. He swallowed thickly. This was going to be hard. “I wanted to hate you. Well, maybe not hate you, but at least not care about you. But as hard as I tried I . . . couldn’t. I do care about you, Lee. I can’t come back from that night and I don’t know what else to do about it, so here I am.

“But I robbed your bank,” Lee raised his eyebrows.

“And you also saved my life.”

Lee dropped his gaze. “I don’t deserve your kindness.”

Richard closed his eyes as a wave of sadness washed over him. If there was anyone in the world who was deserving of kindness, it was this man.

At first Richard had tried convincing himself that it was some sort of misplaced gratitude for saving his life that was making him constantly think about the reluctant criminal. The man had saved his life, yeah, but he also committed a crime. He deserved prison, didn’t he? Speaking to the police and going through the trial, Richard kept telling himself that. But when Lee’s story was told, Richard couldn’t help but feel bitter about the whole situation.

Lee revealed that when his sister Evangeline had fallen ill with cancer, he started to do desperate things to get the money for her treatment. Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated very quickly and she died within a few months of being diagnosed. Lee lost his sister, had fallen in with a bad crowd and was faced with crippling debts. Richard could not begin to imagine how alone Lee must have felt. He was angry that the world had been so unfair to him.

He had then made a promise to himself that he would plead leniency for Lee. Richard made sure that the judge knew about what went on in that bank.

“He tried to stop them from finding me, firstly, and then from hurting me,” Richard had begged. “He said he would turn himself in to save them from shooting me and then he actually stepped in front of the gun. I can honestly say that I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”

Richard’s heartfelt gratitude and Lee’s obvious regret had been enough to earn him a lesser sentence than the rest of the gang. But when the judge announced that Lee would be going to prison for five years, Richard still felt like this was a blow. One look at Lee’s face revealed that he thought he was deserving of everything he got.

“Listen Lee,” he said, “I know you have a low opinion of yourself, but you are _not_ a bad man. You’re a good person who got dealt a shit lot in life. I don’t blame you for anything.”

When Lee looked back up, Richard saw that he was crying. He felt his chest constrict – there was nothing he wanted to do more than hug the younger man.

“Every time I get to see you,” Lee’s breath hitched, “I think that you’ll finally come to your senses and stop visiting me altogether.”

Richard would never tell Lee how much he wanted that. How much he wanted to just walk away and never have to look back. But the other man had somehow wedged himself into Richard’s mind and his heart and he didn’t think he had the strength to push him out. “As long as you want me here, I’ll keep coming. Do you want me here?”

“Are you going to think I’m hopelessly sad if I tell you that your visits are literally the only thing I have to look forward to anymore?”

Richard tried to ignore the bubble of grief that had settled in his chest.

Lee’s hair, which had grown out fell in front of his eyes. He flicked the brown curl out of his face. Richard felt his heartbeat quicken. _How does he still manage to look so beautiful in an orange jumpsuit?_ Richard wondered.

Lee chewed on his lip. “You’re the only one that visits me.”

Richard was surprised. “What? What about your parents?”

“I haven’t heard from them. They must be so ashamed of me. Not that I blame them – I would be too.” He said this casually, like it didn’t bother him, but Richard could tell by the way his hand tightened around the phone and his eyes narrowed slightly that this was not the case. “I don’t have any friends either. I guess none of them want to be associated with a criminal.”

“I’m your friend, Lee. Or at least, I want to be.”

Lee tilted his head. “I’m afraid I’m not a very good friend.”

Richard laughed softly. “Well maybe not while you’re in here, but once you get out we can try to be . . . friends.”

“That could be a while.” Lee looked so defeated. Richard hated that look – he’d do anything to get it off the other man’s face.

“You’ve been in for seven months so far. Your lawyer says you’re eligible for parole after two years. It’s not so bad when you think about it.” Richard gave him a small smile, trying to encourage some hope in the poor guy.

Lee didn’t return the smile. “I just want out now,” he said brokenly.

“Oh, Lee,” he whispered. “I know. I promise I’ll come visit you every week. We’ll get through this. You’re not alone.”

Lee stared at him for a moment, looking like he was trying not to cry until, eventually, his features relaxed and he gave Richard a grateful smile. “This is such a weird, messed up situation, but I really don’t know what I would do without you, Rich.”

Richard’s eyes widened at the use of his shortened nickname, and then he was grinning. “I’m gonna be here when you get out, okay? I promise.”

“Thank you.” The sincerity in Lee’s voice when he replied made Richard’s heart soar and hardened his resolve that this man was everything he wanted in his life and he would wait no matter how long it took.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final chapter! This one has a little more Dean/Aidan ;). Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this :) I would really appreciate any feedback, and I'm sorry for not replying to any comments so far. I'll get around to it!

Lee was late again. It was one of the more annoying habits Richard had begun to notice the younger man had. Whenever he didn’t want to go somewhere, he procrastinated getting ready and ended up late.

“Sorry, sorry, I swear I’ll only be another 10 minutes!” Lee called as he made a quick dash from the bathroom to their bedroom.

“You said that 10 minutes ago,” Richard said, not without an amused smile on his face. Richard leaned back on the couch, loosening his tie slightly so it didn’t choke him while he was waiting. He ran his index finger along the edge of the engagement party invitation that was clutched in his hand, gazing at the picture of the happy couple on it.

Dean and Aidan. Never in a million years would Richard have thought those two would want to settle down, but here the invitation was, proving him wrong. Clearly they weren’t as immature as he had always thought.

After the whole bank-being-robbed situation, Dean and Aidan had come out to their colleagues. Richard chuckled as he recalled how shocked most people had been from the admission:

“Seriously?”

“I didn’t know Aidan was gay!”

“How did they hide it so well?”

Richard had always suspected. It’s not as if they were obvious – maybe a subtle swipe of Aidan’s hand down Dean’s back as he went past, or the way Dean would smile down at his hands when the Irishman entered the room. Maybe Richard was just more observant than the rest.

His thoughts were interrupted by Lee entering the room, “Okay, I’m ready! Sorry.”

Richard’s breath caught in his throat as he took in his boyfriend’s appearance. Lee, carrying the bottle of red they were planning on bringing, was wearing tan dress pants, a light blue shirt and a dark blue blazer over the top. He looked _stunning_.

“Wow,” Richard admired, sauntering up to the American, “how did I get so lucky?”

Lee blushed, closing the distance to press a soft kiss to Richard’s lips.

“Come on,” Richard grabbed Lee’s hand, pulling him towards the door, “we better get going.”

The car ride was quiet, Lee opting to stare out the passenger window at the streets passing them by. Whenever he could, Richard took the opportunity to study the younger man’s face. His eyebrows were pulled together in worry and his mouth turned down in a slight frown. Richard didn’t blame him for being nervous.

It had taken a lot of persuasion to get their hosts to agree to Lee coming in the first place. Not that Richard would ever tell Lee that. Not many of Richard’s friends accepted their relationship. Especially the ones who worked with him.

When it had come out that Richard was seeing one of the men who had tried to rob the bank, people started to talk. At work he pretended he couldn’t hear the comments about Lee being manipulative or him having Stockholm syndrome. As he was the bank manager, it took a while for anyone to say something to his face. In the end, it had been Jed who pulled him to a side and asked what the hell was going on.

Richard had gotten angry and defensive. How dare they imply that they shouldn’t be together?

“Richard, he’s a criminal! Do you not remember what they put you through? He’s been in jail!” Jed had pleaded.

“You know nothing of the situation!” Richard had snapped at him. “He was willing to give up his life for me. I really don’t care what you think.”

“He – he . . . what?”

“You heard what I said.” Despite his anger, Richard was shocked that so many people knew so little of what really went on that night. “I don’t want to hear anything else about this, alright?”

“Okay. Sorry.” Jed has said, before scurrying off.

After that, people had calmed down about everything. Some even ventured to ask Richard how Lee was doing. Richard used to hate those questions. Back then, Lee had been really struggling with being out of prison. He had only been in for two years, but it had affected him pretty badly.

Richard didn’t want to know how bad the American would be if he didn’t have any support. Lee was plagued with nightmares, kicking out at phantom attackers in the middle of the night. Before they slept in the same room, Richard would wake in a panic to hear screams coming from down the hall. But, Richard had always been there to calm him down.

Lee outright refused to get back to acting when he got out of jail. Richard had reminded him that there were plenty of actors who had been to jail throughout their careers, but the other man didn’t want to hear it. He struggled for months trying to find a job that would take on a convicted criminal. He became frustrated and miserable, yelling at Richard that he deserved so much better than a screw-up and he should just leave him alone. There had been many nights where Richard came home from work to find a drunk Lee screaming that he couldn’t do it anymore, couldn’t take it anymore. Richard could do nothing else but hold the other man and remind him how strong he was and that he didn’t have to do this alone.

Leaving one hand on the wheel, Richard reached over and took Lee’s, giving him a tight squeeze. Richard had been afraid then that they were not going to work. Lee was so withdrawn, afraid to accept the affection Richard freely gave to him. He wondered whether he had made a mistake in investing so much time in the American. Maybe he would have been able to walk away from the other with only a little regret after Lee was sentenced, but now that Richard had fallen completely head over heels for the other man, he had been terrified they would never be happy.

The squeeze of his hand made Lee look over at his lover, a smile washing away the nerves on his face. Richard beamed back at him fondly. Thank God things had eventually gotten easier. After many nights of Lee sobbing into the older man’s arms, he had finally opened up and let Richard in. He even managed to find a job working at a tiny bookshop during the week. It wasn’t very fulfilling, but Lee was very fond of reading and it brought back a little happiness into his life.

From there, he allowed his life to slowly improve. Richard began to learn little things about the younger man as he let his personality shine through – like how he used to love travelling, how his ears always hurt when it was cold and windy, how he hated football, but loved tennis. He learnt that Lee was actually very funny, that he liked to sing in the shower even though he wasn’t very good, how his lower neck was sensitive, how he moaned when Richard ran his teeth along it.

Lee began to become more confident with the group of Richard’s friends that didn’t work at the bank – Martin, Luke and Adam. With more support, and surrounded by more people, Lee finally started to laugh more freely, to turn back into the man he had once been.

As they pulled up outside Dean and Aidan’s house, Richard was sure that Lee was wishing it was those friends who would be there tonight. He was still very uncomfortable around the people whose bank he had once tried to rob.

Richard started to walk up to the door, stopping when he realised Lee had not followed him. The American still stood by the car, shuffling his feet nervously.

With a sigh, Richard walked back to him and pressed a kiss to his temple. “It won’t be that bad, I promise. We can leave early if you want.”

Lee gave him a grateful smile and Richard wrapped his arm around his back, leading him to the door. Dean answered the door with an enthusiastic “Hi!”, his smile only dropping slightly when it settled on Lee.

He recovered quickly though, offering a hand for Lee to shake. “I’m glad you could make it, Lee,” he said warmly.

Richard was very grateful for Dean’s welcome, although he wasn’t sure if it was heartfelt. Aidan suddenly appeared around the door, wrapping both Lee and Richard in a big hug. He had a wide grin on his face, and his ever-sunny personality erased any awkwardness that had been there before.

“Come one, come in. The party’s already started!” Dean and Aidan led them through the living room, outside onto the deck, where music was blasting and people were dancing.

“Can I get you a drink?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” Lee replied, making Richard smile that he wasn’t so nervous anymore.

Richard walked around, chatting with his work mates and introducing himself to Aidan and Dean’s other friends. Lee seemed to have relaxed, enough that he didn’t cling to Richard the whole night and made an effort to converse with others on his own.

Despite wanting to give Lee his space, Richard found his eyes always travelling back to him, trying to make sure he was okay. He froze in the middle of a conversation when he saw Lee talking to Graham.

The deputy manager had _never_ warmed up to Lee – still protective of Richard and still angry that he had been forced to worry about his best friend. While Graham’s body language was quite relaxed, Lee looked tense. Richard had half a mind to walk over there, when he saw Lee give a stiff nod and turn abruptly to walk back over to his lover.

“Everything alright?” Richard asked when Lee reached him.

“Yeah he’s just . . . just still very protective over you. Said he was willing to accept us, but warned me that he wouldn’t be very happy if I did anything to hurt you.”

Lee was upset, Richard realised. _Way to go Graham for ruining the night_ , Richard thought sourly. “He doesn’t mean anything by it, Lee. He’s just . . . I mean, you know what friends are like? Especially considering . . .”

“Yeah,” Lee said sarcastically, “especially considering.” He turned on his heel and started to walk off.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Toilet,” Lee mumbled.

Richard sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. _Maybe it was a mistake to bring him here._ Shaking off the thought, Richard spotted Dean and Aidan and went over to them.

“Oh hey, Richard!” Dean exclaimed, “These are my parents – Vicky and Lance. Mum, Dad, this is Richard Armitage.”

Richard extended his hand to the older couple who smiled warmly at him. Richard grinned, noting that Dean had inherited his father’s dimples.

“Oh, so you’re Dean’s boss, right?” Lance asked. “Hope he’s been working hard and hasn’t been too distracted by this idiot” He indicated Aidan, who threw his head back with a loud laugh, arm wrapped possessively around Dean’s waist.

Richard chuckled, “Nah, they’re both very good workers . . . well, when they want to be.”

“Hey!” Came Aidan’s indignant response.

“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Vicky said with a soft smile.

“Mum!” Dean protested. “Can you not embarrass me in front of my boss?”

Richard laughed again, the worries from earlier forgotten. “Hope it’s been good things.”

“Mostly good,” she said with a wink.

“Mum! Seriously?” Dean’s face was red and everyone laughed at him.

Richard looked around and saw that Lee had come back outside, but was just leaning against a wall with a glum expression on his face.

“Will you guys excuse me for a moment?” He asked the others politely. Richard walked back to Lee. He opened his mouth to apologise, but Lee beat him to it.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re having such a good time. I don’t want to spoil anything. I shouldn’t have come.”

Richard sighed, “You don’t have to apologise, Lee. I wanted you here. It was unfair of me to ask you to do this.”

“No, Richard, I do have to apologise. I want to be able to do these things with you – but it would probably be better if you just came by yourself.”

“I would rather be home with you than here by myself.”

Richard wondered if maybe that had been the wrong thing to say, but Lee looked at him with a hint of a smile on his face and he knew everything was alright. He wrapped Lee in a tight hug, pulling the taller man flush against his body.

“I love you,” he whispered in Lee’s ear. “We’ll go home now, okay?”

“Are you sure?” Lee asked.

“I told you we’d leave early if you wanted. It’s the least I can do for making you come in the first place.”

Richard took Lee’s hand and went over to Dean and Aidan to say goodbye, apologising for going so soon.

“No worries, Rich,” Aidan said as he gave his boss a hug. “We’ll see you on Monday.”

On the way out, Richard stopped to say bye to Dean’s parents.

“It was good to meet you,” he said truthfully.

“You too, Richard.” Vicky replied. Her gaze dropped to his hand clasped in Lee’s and gave a fond smile. “I was watching you two, earlier, you know. You make a very cute couple. How did you meet, if you don’t mind me asking?”

His eyes went wide and he felt Lee stiffen beside him, his grip on Richard’s hand loosening. Richard gave Lee a reassuring squeeze and answered simply, “He saved my life.”

Richard knew Lee would protest to that, not wanting to be portrayed as the hero, but it was the truth. It didn’t matter how it happened – all that mattered was that it did happen. Whether he liked it or not, Lee was Richard’s saviour that night. And Richard had been Lee’s ever since.


End file.
